St. Stanislaus Elementary School in Maspeth has a rich history as a place where you just “fit in” according to many who have graduated from there. Rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, St. Stan’s has been located on Grand Avenue off 61st Street since 1930. This year a handful of prominent volunteers for the school are being inducted into its Hall of Fame. They include:

Kenneth Rudzewick grew up in Maspeth. He attended St. Stanislaus before graduating from Holy Trinity High School, and has been involved as a community leader as a banker, Kiwanian, parade organizer, and philanthropist. Rudzewick started his banking career in 1956 at Maspeth Federal, where he eventually became executive vice president and mortgage officer. In 1987, chairman Franklin J. Frontera announced his election to the board, and in 1999 after 43 years of service Rudzewick was elected to the prominent position of president and chief executive officer, where he has served ever since.

Rudzewick is well known for his passion for the Maspeth Memorial Day Parade, but one of his favorite successes in Maspeth has to be his involvement with bringing Maspeth Town Hall back to its life as a vital part of the fabric of the community. Rudzewick and his wife Barbara live in Middle Village and are parents of four children, Tom, Jill, Glenn and Roger, and grandparents to Nicholas, Kristian, Emily, Kathryn Grace, Meghan, James Rudy, Matthew and Brendan Levon.

Audrey Koziol was born in Maspeth, raised her children here and now has a grandson, Steven, who is a first grader at St. Stan’s. She has been involved with the Home School Association and has notched 15 years volunteering for fundraising events while her children, Audrey Ann, Stephanie, Paul and Kevin, attended St. Stan’s through 2004.

Koziol credits her time spent at St. Stan’s with forming great friendships with parents, teachers and volunteers. “Those relationships still continue,” she says. “My children became theirs, and their children became mine. We are more than a community, at St. Stan’s we are family.”

Roe Durante was born in Maspeth and now resides in Malverne, Long Island. She was a fixture in the Mothers Club and the Home School Association for more than a decade in the 1980s and 90s. She and her husband Anthony are alumni and truly embody the spirit of family at the parish. Her mom Connie Marino (who is being placed in the Hall of Fame posthumously) was known as a lunch monitor and volunteered with the Mother’s Club at the school in the 1960s and 1970s. Roe and her family followed suit. “My mom put the volunteer bug in my heart and I was always happy with the time spent with Sr. Rose and all the teachers, who my mom and I always considered our extended family,” said Durante.

John Sammon, an Eagle Scout, was born in Astoria and has been calling Maspeth home for 22 years. Sammon posts double duty at St. Stan’s in both the sports program and scouting. He is Cubmaster for Pack 312 and advisor for Crew 312 at St.Stan’s for the Boy Scouts of America. He has spent seven years in scouting and eight years as a baseball coach.

A commitment to the community is part of scouting and he credits commitment with keeping him energized at St. Stanislaus. One of his favorite events in scouting is holding the district-wide Pinewood Derby at St.Stan's. “Watching the boys faces light up as their car flies down the track always brings back memories of my childhood,” Sammon said.

The Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held this Saturday in the school auditorium from 7 to 11 p.m. Two-hundred people are expected to attend.

grduated from st stans in 1959. Loved the school and the Josephites who taught there. My grandfather did much of the carpentry work at the church. Iam happy it is still going strong. My husband and I were married there and two of our four children were baptized there before we moved to MA